First marine conservation area to be declared

The Malta Environment and Planning Authority is hopeful it will be able to declare the first marine conservation area in the Maltese islands by July.

The proposed area spans 11 kilometres from Rdum Majjiesa to Ras ir-Raheb in the northwest.

A marine protected area is an area where the biological diversity and the natural resources, which are unique to the geographic position of the Maltese Islands, are protected, restored and maintained at a favourable conservation status.

Environment Minister George Pullicino told a Mepa public consultation seminar that the area in question had been subjected to an intensive study between 2000 and 2003 under the auspices of the Mediterranean Action Plan programme for sustainable coastal management integrating environment issues with development planning.

The study was the first exercise in integrated coastal area management in Malta. It was coordinated by the former Environment Protection Department, in collaboration with the Mediterranean Action Plan and the Priority Actions Programme Regional Activity Centre.

Mr Pullicino said that the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas, which was the Mediterranean Action Plan's centre dealing with nature conservation issues, initiated the Mediterranean Marine Protected Area project using EU funds.

With the help of their partners on this Malta project - the Instituto Centrale per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica Applicata al Mare and their local consultant on biodiversity, Patrick Schembri, a zoning plan was set up on the data collected from the camp studies.

All the coordination of the project has been undertaken locally by the Nature Protection Unit of the Environment Protection Directorate at Mepa.

Mr Pullicino said that yesterday's seminar, which included the participation of all stakeholders, should contribute towards the drawing up of a management plan for the site.

This would take into consideration the protection of the species and their habitat, the management of activities within the sites, additional scientific research and public education and participation.

The final version of the management plan had to take into account both conservation objectives and the requirement that the protected area be integrated within its economic and social environment.

Alfred Baldacchino, from Mepa's Nature Protection Unit, said the area chosen was rich in a number of activities and included three bays.

It supported the main marine habitats occurring around the Maltese islands and harboured some rare and threatened habitats as well as species which were protected or were of conservation interest.

He said the aim was to conclude the management plan by July.

Once the marine protection area was declared, activities there would be controlled to ensure that they did not cause damage.

Mepa, or contracted third parties, would be doing the monitoring.

The proposed marine protected area would be Malta's first but definitely not the last, Mr Baldacchino said.